Battle of Lida

The Battle of Lida (16-17 April 1919) occurred when the Polish Army attacked the Bolshevik-held town of Lida in western Belarus during the Polish-Soviet War. The Polish forces, consisting of five battalions, a cavalry group, and an artillery battery, assaulted Lida in preparation for the offensive against Vilna in Lithuania to the north, and Polish reinforcements were moved in by train. The Bolsheviks used an armored train to fight the Poles back, but the Poles would succeed in taking the railroad and destroying it. 350 Bolsheviks were captured after the Poles captured Lida, and the battle was a great victory for the new nation.